Lifting device



C. A. PEEBLES Nov. 22, 1949 LIFTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25,' 194s 3Sheets-Sheet l ,n0 A I/ ./:S/ F, 1

lNvENToR CHAD A. PEEBLES Avrosznevs I Il -TlG-Z.

Nov. 22, 1949 c. A. PEEBLr-:s 2,488,826

LIFTING DEVICE v l Filed Aug. 2z, 1948 I s sheets-sheet 2 Nvr-.NTQR@551A PEEBLES AT'roRNEvs NOV. 22, 1949 C, A, PEEBLES 2,488,826

LIFTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 23, 1948 s sheets-sheet s INvENToP. -er CMAQA. Pess A'roNEvs Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITE-D STATES PATENT -oFFlcE 9Claims.

A1 This invention relates to a liftingdevice which has been primarilydesignedv for use in lifting pins and replacing them in bowling games,

`though said device is adaptable for use in lifting and carrying otherarticles.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to produce anovel, relatively simple and very effective lifting device which may belowered to the pins remaining, which have not been overturned upon acasting of the ball, vso that those which have been upset or overturnedmay be swept from the bowling alley and the pins remaining returned tothe same positions which they occupied before lifted and removedtherefrom. Inthe operation the lifting device of my invention will bemounted for vertical guid- -ance so that when it is lowered to engagewith any upright pins and the pins thereafter, lifted, on the return, asit follows the identical path of movement that it followed in lifting,the pins will be returned to their initial positions. The presentinvention is not concerned with the vertical guidance of the device whenused in conjunction with lifting and replacing such pins as remainupright during a stage of the progress of the game, but is concernedwith the lifting structure for either such use-or other analogous uses,and discloses such novel structure, vas described in the followingdescription, taken in lconnection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich,

1 Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the lifting device -of myinvention, the section being substantially on the plane of line l-I ofFig. 3, showing the lifting device when it isv engaged with the upperend portions of bowling pins.

Fig. 2 is a similar vertical section, substantially on the plane of line2-2 of Fig. 4, with the lifting device in position above the upper endsof upright bowling pins immediately prior to 'lowering into engagementtherewith,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section, substantially on the lplaneof line .3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section substantially on the plane ofline 4-4 of Fig. 2 and Fig. .5 is an elevation, partly in verticalsection,

of the lifting device of my invention, showing a modification andbetterment of structure for positively forcing the .articles lifted fromdisengagement.

. vLike reference characters refer to like parts in the differentfigures of the drawings, and the sections are taken looking in thedirections indicated by the arrows.

. In the structure-of the lifting device, an fopen rectangular frame,which `may be :of wood or 2` other suitable materiaL-is provided-.havingspaced sides and ends l', covering vwhichfis a horizontal plate 2 whichsimilarly maybe made of suitable material, and which. is permanently:secured at and over the upper -edges of the frame. At the outer sidesofthe frame thinmembers 3 are permanently secured, the upper edges beingiiush with the upper side of the plate .2 and the lower edges extendinga distancebelow the lower yedges of :the frame members l. To the' underedges of said side members 3 horizontal ystrips 4 are Vpermanentlyconnected :and spaced .downwardly from the frame members I a distance,:thus providing a continuous groove 5 around the structure, as .bestshown ,in Fig. 2..

Within the grooveV an `.expansilale and contractable tubular member 6 islocated, which in :its contracted form (Fig. 2l :is loosely located inthe groove and at its inner sides is located a short distance inwardly.from the plane `of ythe .inner sides of the framemembers l `and theinner yedges of the parts 4. Thistube adaptedto be expanded bytheintrodnctionof ypneumatic pres.- sure, such as compressed air or thelike through .an `entrance nipple l, and `under such pressure expands tolill the grooyesat. 5 and `at its vinner sides .project beyond theinnerropen entrance of the grooves.

In the upper plate 2 av large number iof 'vertical openings are madeAwhich are .close rtogether vbut 1spaced from :each other .and :througheach of which a vertical rod 8:'s1idably passes. Each lrod atlitsupperend has ahead which, when it comes .against the upper :side of theplate2, stops Ithe rod :8 from furtherdownward movement. Each of the rods :8at its lower .end provided with Aa .cylindrical 4head 9, the ydiametervof which is greater than its attached rod', and all of 4said heads '9when the rodsare .all :in their lowermost position, as inFig. A2,'substantia'llyl ll the open lower `side :of the structure and havetheirlower Y ends :substantially in the sameVr plane with the lowersides-of the members l4. Coiled compression springs I0 of lightweightand strength are-located onearoundeach of the rodsll;y between theupper -ends of the heads 9 and the. .flower side of the plate 2. The.openings through the plate .2 and through which the rods il :pass areslightly larger in diameter than the exteriorY diameter .of the rods,sol that va limitedg'latera'l play .of the heads 9 is permitted.

When .theliftinggstructure as described .is abover the :alleyfinwhichfthepins in fil-bowling game are located, a lowering of the devicevertically v10TH-lgs thefupper endsgof the laowlinsminsJ- againstathepins which have not been elevated. The introduction of pneumaticpressure into the tube 6 expands such tube so that at its inner verticalsides it presses against the outermost heads 9 along the inner sides ofthe frame and forces those heads next adjacent the pins I I into apressure engagement therewith. The lifting device may then be elevatedvertically and the pins will be lifted because of the connection of thepins with the device which has thus been made.V

The pins which remain upright after a ball has beencast, may thus belifted and elevated out of the way of -the pins which have been knockedover. The overturned pins are swept or otherwise removed, and thevertical pins previously lifted are returned by lowering the liftingdevice and exhausting the pneumatic pressurein the tube 6. This freesthe pins so that when the lifting device is again elevated those heads9, which have engaged with the upper ends of the pins, and theirattached rods, are lowered by the compressed springs IIJ to theirinitial positions and the pins are left at the end of the bowling alleyin the identical positions which they occupied before they were removed.

In Fig. 5, the frame structure which carried the rods 8, having heads 9at their lower ends is shown as guided for vertical movements betweentwo spaced vertical posts I2, grooved at their inner sides. The verticalside bars I3 of the frame structure extend above the upper side of theplate 2 as shown, and are connected at their upper ends by a horizontalcross bar I4 to which cables I5 are connected, which may lead to asuitable lifting or elevating means` to pull the cables I5 upwardly andraise the lifting device simultaneously with the upward movement of thecablesl I5.

A horizontal transverse plate I6 extends between the vertical sides I3of the frame and is guided at opposite ends in grooves I'I at the innerside of the bars I3.` The lower ends of the grooves Il reachsubstantially to theV upper side of the plate 2. Plate I6 is normallyheldin an upper position by coiled tension-springs I8 Vconnected at theupper sideof the plate and to the lower side of the bar or plate I4 atopposite ends of the springs. Vertical cylinders I9 are secured at thelower side of the plate or bar I4 and are suspended therefrom. Into thelower end of each cylinder a piston rod 20 enters, having a suitablepiston at its upper end within its associated cylinder. The rods 26 aresecured to the upper side of the vertical movable plate I6.

Pneumatic pressure as compressed air or equivalent, is conducted througha conduit or hose 2I to two flexible conduits 22and 23, the former ofwhich leads to the tubular member 6, located around the heads 9. Theother'conduit `23 leads to and connectswith two branch conduits 24,' one' leading to the upper end of each cylinder I9. v The ow of thepneumatic pressure through Vthe flexible conduits 22 and 23 iscontrolled by valves 25 and 26, respectively. 'y

i With this structural onv lowering the iramelby lowering the cables I5,the upper end portion of the articles IIa which are to be lifted,engaging at their upper ends with heads 9 directly above, push suchheads upwardly (Fig. 5) and the upper portions of the members IIa aresurrounded by other of the heads 9. Then by turning on the fluidpressure to the conduit 22 and expanding the tube 6, the articles Ilaare gripped and on upward movement of the cables will bev lifted to anelevated position. On return of the elevated frame the articles IIa arelowered thereby to a lower position. After closing the valve 25 torelease pressure from the tube 6, operation of the valve indicated at 26for fluid pressure to enter the upper ends of cylinders I9, causes thetransverse plate I6 to be moved downward relative to Ythe frame thusengaging the headed upper ends of the rods 8, and pushing them down anddisconnecting articles IIa from the apparatus. Upon operating the valveat 26 for exhaust of fluid pressure from cylinders I9, springs I8 movethe transverse plate I6 to its normal upper position.

The detail of the valves at 25 and 26 is not entered into. Such valvesmay be manually operated, or operated automatically through electric orother control at the proper times and in accordance with the position ofthe frame relative to its guides I2 and of the plate I6 relative to theside members I3 of the frame with respect to which it is verticallymovable. With this structure the large number of light strength coiledsprings I9 is eliminated and the positive disconnection of pins, bottlesor other generally similar articles from the lifting device is obtained.Any need to replace the springs I8 is readily taken care of instead ofthe much more difficult replacing one or more of the springs I0.

The structure described is of a practical, economical and readily simpleconstruction, and one which may be readily and easily manufactured andassembled. It is to be understood that various modifications in detailof structure as to the size, shape and form' of the surrounding frame,and the means for applying pressure against the outer heads 9 by the useof equivalents doing the same thing in substantially the same manner andeffecting the same result, may be resorted to without affecting orchanging the invention.

The invention is dened in the appended claims and is to be consideredcomprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described'comprising, an open frame havingvertical sides and ends, a horizontal plate across said frame, saidplate having a plurality of closely spaced openings therethrough, aplurality of rods slidably extending through said openings one for eachopening, each of said rods at its lower end having a head of greatercross sectional area than the cross sectional area of its rod, saidheads substantially filling the open frame at the lower portion thereof,and means mounted on said frame at the lower portion thereof around theoutermost heads adapted to selectively press toward said heads orretract therefrom, each of said rods having limiting means for stoppingthe rods in downward movement at preselected positions such that all ofthe heads at the lower ends of the rods at their under ends aresubstantially flush and in the same horizontal plane.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, each of said rods between theupper end of the head attached thereto, and the under side of said topplate having a light strength compression spring around it which iscompressed upon vertical upward movement of a rod and attached head.

3. In a lifting and pickup device of the character described, an openframe having vertical sides and ends, a plate across said frame, aplurality of vertical rods slidably passing through said plate withinthe area inside of said open frame, a head at the lower end of each rodof a greater cross sectional area than the cross sectional area of therod to which attached, said heads substantially llling the open frame atthe lower side thereof and adapted to have side con, tact engagementwith adjacent heads and said heads in lower position having lower endsin generally the same horizontal plane, each of said rods and itsattached head being independently vertically movable, and releasablemeans for exerting pressure against the outer sides of the outermostheads within the frame.

4. A construction as defined in claim 3, and yielding means of lightstrength operatively associated with each rod and its connected head fornormally moving the rods and heads into their lowermost position,combined with means for limiting the downward movement thereof.

5. A construction as defined in claim 3, said releasable pressure meanscomprising a hollow expansible tube located around the outermost heads,means for mounting said tube on the frame around said outermost heads,and means for conducting pneumatic pressure into the tube to expand itto exert pressure against the outermost heads in the frame and forreleasing said pneumatic pressure for release of said tube from pressingagainst said outermost heads.

6. In a structure of the class described, an open frame having verticalsides, a plate extending across the frame, a plurality of verticalmembers slidably passing through said plate, each having an enlargedlower end portion, said members being in number and the enlarged lowerend portions thereof being of dimensions that said open frame at itslower side is substantially lled by said enlarged lower end portions ofsaid members, said members being in substantial contact engagement atadjacent sides, means for limiting the downward movement of said membersto normally maintain their lower end portions at the lower ends thereofin substantially the same horizontal plane, and means adapted to beselectively operated for exerting pressure against the outer sides ofthe enlarged lower end portions of said members at opposite sides of theframe and for releasing said pressure.

7. In a lifting and pick-up device, an open frame, a horizontal plateacross and above the open lower side of the frame secured in xedrelation thereto, said plate having a plurality of closely spacedopenings therethrough, a vertical rod Yslidable through each of saidopenings, each of said rods at their lower ends having heads of greatercross-section area than the cross-section area of its rod, said headssubstantially lling the frame at the lower portion thereto, meansmounted on the frame around the outermost of said heads for releasablypressing said heads together, said heads in lowermost position havingtheir lower ends in substantially the same horizontal plane, a secondplate movably mounted for vertical movements above the first horizontalplate, means normally elevating said second plate above the rst plate,and means for releasably forcing said second horizontal plate downward.

8. A structure as defined in claim 7, said open frame at opposite sidesthereof having vertical extensions above the rst horizontal platebetween and upon which said second horizontal plate is slidably mounted,a horizontal member between and connected to the upper portions of saidvertical extensions, tension springs between and connected at their endsto said second horizontal plate and said horizontal member providing themeans for elevating said second plate, cylinders secured at the underside of said horizontal member extending toward said second plate, andpiston rods connected at the upper side of said second horizontal plateextending into said cylinders, and means for conducting fluid underpressure into the upper ends of the cylinders, thereby providing themeans for forcing said second plate downwardly.

9. A structure as defined in claim 8, said means for forcing the headson the rods against each other comprising a pneumatic tube surroundingsaid heads and carried by said frame, and means for conducting fluidunder pressure to the upper ends of the cylinders comprising a conduithaving branches connected one to each cylinder, said conduit extendingto and connecting with said pneumatic tube, an additional conduit forcarrying fluid under pressure connected with the rst conduit between itsends, and valve control means in said first conduit, one at each side ofthe place of connection of the additional conduit to said rst conduit.

CHAD A. PEEBLES.

No references cited.

